And These are Our Days
by Shirayuri no Hime
Summary: Ukyo is reluctant to return to work when his job calls for him to spend two weeks away from his family.


"That's it!" Ukyo declared, reentering their home, his arms weighed down with luggage. "I've changed my mind! I'm not going!"

And so saying, he promptly dropped his bags on the floor and leaned down to remove his shoes.

How could they ask him to go on a business trip so soon after the birth of his daughter and son? They still needed him! It was just too cruel to snatch him away from them like that and send them into a world of confusion without their loving father there to protect them. Tears were (once again) coming to his eyes just thinking about it.

But before Ukyo had even managed to take off his right shoe, a pair of arms encircled his shoulders and delicately forced him back up.

"Ukyo," she started, a bit exasperated, but not unkind. "Please calm down, If you're not quiet, you'll wake them…again."

A wave of guilt washed over him when her words registered, and softly, he murmured an apology. He was, however, not sorry for his sudden refusal to go on the business trip. It would mean leaving her and the babies behind, and that was something Ukyo was just not ready to do yet…if ever.

As her arms fell away, he turned to face her – resolute and unwilling to waver in his decision. No matter how intently she stared at him and silently implored him to be reasonable, Ukyo would not be shaken.

Nevertheless, her silence persisted, and he began fidgeting awkwardly under her patient gaze.

"It's too soon," he tentatively offered.

Her silence did not relent – daring him to try again.

"You'll be lonely without me here."

"I promise you, Ukyo, she won't be lonely," another voice – carefree and cheerful – entered the conversation. Ukyo turned to see Orion coming toward them from the twins' bedroom – giving him a cheeky and knowing smile.

Ukyo opened his mouth to protest against Orion's words; something like that might have been okay when he was twelve, but he was in college now!

She beat him to it though.

"Orion, if you want to help, please take Ukyo's bags back out to the car."

"Sure, sure," he answered, unperturbed by her gentle scolding. "They're still sleeping, by the way."

"Thank you," she replied, and Ukyo could see and hear the relief in her face and voice.

He didn't put up much resistance when she firmly guided him out of Orion's path as he gathered up the discarded bags and moved for the door. Truth be told, the fight was already starting to leave Ukyo, but he was still desperate to somehow stay with them and avoid the trip.

Orion gave Ukyo another smile before he quietly closed the door behind him, but that one was more genuine and comforting.

"When did he become that tall and good-looking?" Ukyo asked offhandedly.

Despite knowing he was trying to distract her from their previous conversation, she couldn't help laughing. "He's been that way for a few years now."

"Which part?" her husband blurted out, concern coloring his tone. "Tall or good-looking?"

"Ukyo," she sighed, but she was still in good humor. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Let me stay?" he helpfully supplied. Now he was the one gazing at her – soft and imploring.

"No," she easily said, unaffected by how tenderly he was looking at her. She had, after all, worked with Ikki, so she was no stranger to resisting the allure of charming eyes, and Ukyo's, by far, were the most difficult to refuse. "It's only for two weeks."

"It's not 'only' two weeks," he quickly corrected her. "It's two weeks without waking up beside you every morning, or sharing our meals together, or holding you in those brief moments of peace. It's two weeks without holding my precious children in my arms and taking their pictures and spending every waking minute in their sights. It's the first time I'll be away from them for so long." He was on the verge of tears again, and his voice shook as he poured his heart out to her.

Her response was to pull him into an embrace and rest her head against his shoulder while she affectionately said his name and stroked his cheek.

"I'm sorry," came her apology. "I wasn't thinking about how hard this would be on you. But you have to know that going to work for these two weeks means just as much to them as it would if you stayed here. You're still taking care of them even if you're far away." She lifted her head and pulled his face down for a quick kiss. "Besides, do you really want to stay here doing laundry and changing diapers?"

"Yes," he automatically answered, not even having to think about it. "I'd do anything for them – for all three of you."

"I love you," she quietly said, feeling her heart grow warm. Whether it was something as simple as giving their children a bath or something as life-changing as what he had done for her all those years ago, Ukyo was always putting them first. It was his selflessness that always touched her heart and constantly strengthened her love for him.

"I love you, too," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. He relished in the feeling of her warm body against his and knew he'd have to indulge in it for as long as he could if he was to keep from getting cold on those lonely nights.

"I'm going to miss you," he finally said, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through her hair. "Promise you'll call me every day and send me videos and pictures whenever you can?"

"I promise," she assured him, and he could feel her at last relaxing.

"What if I miss their first words or they start crawling or wa—"

"Ukyo, they're three months old; you're definitely not going to miss any of those milestones in the next two weeks."

"I know," he said, his demeanor more subdued.

A pleasant hush settled around them as they continued to rest in one another's arms. They would miss each other more than words could say; every time they parted, it was an unspoken truth that they both were counting the seconds to the time when they would meet again.

Reluctantly, Ukyo let her go and straightened. "I should go tell them goodbye."

"You already did that, remember? You just had to 'take a picture of their sweet sleeping faces for the road', and when the camera went off, they woke up."

"Ah yeah…" There was that guilt again creeping into his cheeks in the form of a sheepish blush. "I'll just look in on them from the doorway then," he tried again.

Nodding, she was willing to compromise with him. She watched him hastily (but quietly make his way) to the babies' room where he spent the next several minutes out of view. Sometimes, she wondered whether she had two children or three.

"Is Ukyo ready to go?"

She startled when she heard Orion speaking from behind her.

"Orion," she breathed out. "You surprised me. It's like you appeared from out of nowhere."

He grinned at her. "I was a spirit once, but no, I just came in while you were staring off into space. You didn't even hear me call your name."

"I'm sorry, I was just—"

"Thinking about Ukyo." He finished her sentence for her. "Don't be too hard on him, okay?" Lightly, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You and the twins mean the world to him, and having to leave all three of you – even if it's just for two weeks – is—"

Whatever Orion intended to say was buried beneath the sound of a shrill cry followed by a panicked, "Noooo, don't cry; you'll wake your brother!" And after that, all hope was lost as the infants noisily wailed in unison and Ukyo tried in vain to calm them.

For a long moment, she and Orion stared back at each other, but as the sounds of crying babies and a frantic Ukyo grew louder, she excused herself – a grave aura enveloping her with every step that brought her closer to the bedroom.

"Ah Ukyo," Orion laughed nervously, following her with his eyes. "You'll never learn, will you?"


End file.
